Show-case construction.



A. .SKALL. SHOW CASE CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED OCT-21.1914- Patented J 11110 1, 1915.

HUI ll l I' II HIHIIH H THE NORRIS FETERE (30.. PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, D. C

MAX A. SKALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHOW-CASE CONSTRUCTION.

narrate.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June ll, 19115.

Application filed October 21, 1914. Serial No. 867,694.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MAX A. SKALL, a citizen of the United States, and residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Show-Case Construction, of which the following is a speolfication.

This invention relates to certain improvements in the construction of show cases and particularly to that class of such cases which is known as frameless show cases in which the edges of the glass plates forming the walls of the case are held together by suitable fastening means so as to present a glass edge instead of a wooden or metal edge.

In the frameless show cases at present in use, the glass plates are either joined by suitable fasteners attached to the plates by rivets passed through holes drilled in the plates, which is a costly process, or by clamping means exerting a pressure against one of the plates by screws or similar means; or in the manner shown in the Letters Patent No. 820,828 which was granted to me on May 15th, 1906 in which construction triangular corner pieces are used on the outside of the show case which are joined by connecting rods on the inner side of the glass plates.

The object of the present invention is to avoid the drilling of the glass plates as well as means exerting a pressure against a plate, and also the corner pieces on the outside of the show case, for this purpose the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and principally in certain clamping means which hold the glass plates firmly in their position which do not exert a pressure against any plate, but are slightly elastic and thereby avoid the cracking of the plates.

The invention will be fully described hereinafter and is shown and illustrated in the accompanying drawings made part of these specifications, in which- Figure I is an isometric view of a show case embodying the invention. Fig. IT is a plan view of this show case from which the top glass plate has been removed. Fig. HT is a sectional elevation of this show case on the line A-A of Fig. II. Fig. TV is a detail section through a vertical and a horizontal glass plate held together by my new clamping means. Fig. V is a detail section through an inclined and a vertical glass plate held together by the same clamping means adapted for this purpose. Fig. V1 is a side elevation of Fig. IV seen from the left side. Fig. VII is a top View of Fig. VT.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts through the various figures.

Referring to the drawings 1 represents the bottom of a show case, which rests on rubber buffers 2 to hold the case a short distance above the supporting floor. The bottom 1 is provided on three of its edges with a molding 3. The walls of the case consist of the glass plates i, 5, 6 and 7, of which a and 5 form the sides, 6 the front side and 7 the top of the show case which 1s shown in a slanted position, to demonstrate the adaptability of my invention for such construction. The rear sides of the cabinet is generally formed by a door 8. The front edges of the side plates 4 and 5 abut against the front plate 6 and the lower edges of these plates are held in place by the molding 3. The rear edges of plates t and}? are covered by U shaped metal channels 9 and anchored to. base 1 by rods 10 fastened to channels 9 in suitable manner and washers 11 soldered or riveted to rods 10.

The upper ends of the channels 9 are connected at their rear edges by a bar 12, forming a brace between plates 4: and 5. To the upper inside edges of channels 9 the ends of a rod or wire 14 are fastened which runs along the upper edges of the glass plates l, 6 and 5 and close to the corner formed with top plate 7. At the inside of the two front corners of the case rods 13 are fastened to rods 14 and extend vertically downward through base 1 carrying at their ends washers 11 to anchor them like rods 10. The top plate 7 of' the case is laid upon the upper edges of the framing formed in the manner so far described and fastened to it rigidly by means of the clamps 15. The edges of plate 7 reach a short distance outside of plates 4:, 5 and 6.

The clamp 15 consists of a fiat strip of metal 15 forming the body of the clamp and adapted to slip through a narrow openmg between the upper edge of a side plate 4 (see Fig. TV) and the top plate 7. The front end of the clamp is divided into 3 parts,the middle part is bent upward 15 and inward 15 to embrace the front edge of plate 7, while the two outside parts are bent downward to form a limiting guide for plate 4:. The portion'of the. clamp 15 shown in dotted lines, extending into the case beyond the inner face of plate at and rod 14 is bent downward to embrace the rod I l and preferably soldered to the latter. The bending of the portion 15 into position anchored to the base 1 by means of rods 13.

The upper edges of plates 4 are rigidly held in their proper place by means of 15 14: and 15. The rear edge of plate 7 is held in place by angular clamps 16 which are fastened to bar 12.

' In Fig. V I have illustrated the modification necessary to fasten the front edge of plate 7 to plate 6 where the plates do not form a right angle to each other. In this case the rod 14 comes slightly above the inner edge of plate 6, and the part 15 is bent down far enough to engage this edge, the tongues 15 are bent to form the'proper 7 angle with 15 for the correct position of plates 6 and 7 To close'the open spaces between two clamps 15 and to avoid the resting of the top plates on the metal surfaces of the clamps these spaces are filled by strips of felt or similar soft material 17 shown in Figs. IV, .V and VI. In this manner a rigid show case is obtained without the drilling of glass plates or the applica- 7 against cracking by shocks and the possibility of bending the clamps to various angles gives them'a wide range of application.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a show case a skeleton frame of horizontal rods, vertical rods placed at the corners of the show case, to connect the horizontal rods to the base of the case, plates forming the walls of the case placed around said frame, clamping members inserted between the edge of a side plate and the lower face of the top plate,'said clamping members being provided with projections to guide the outside face of a side plate and embrace the front edge of the top plate, the part projecting into the show case being adapted to be bent in place after assembling the side plates, to form an alining flange for connection with the rods of the frame.

2. In a show case a skeleton frame consisting of rods, supported on the base of the case to form a guide for the inside faces of the side plates of said case, clamping means placed on the upper edge of said plate provided with an outer flange to guide the outside face of one of said plates and with an inner flange bent around one of said rods to tie the upper edge of said plate to the frame.

3. The combination with a skeleton frame of a clamping member interposed between two plates of a show case formed in angular relation to each other, said clamping member being provided with a projecting flange, adapted to engage a rod of the frame running along the upper inside corner formed by these plates and acting as a guide for the inside face of a side plate.

4-. In a show case a skeleton frame of horizontal rods, vertical rods supporting said horizontal rods, plates forming the walls of the case placed around said frame, a pair of spaced clamping members on the same side of the case, interposed between two plates of the show case formed in angular relation to each other, said clamping members being provided with means, to engage said rods and to space said clamping members a definite, but selective distance from each other.

5. In a show case the combination with a skeleton frame of rods held at the base of the case, and horizontal rods supported at the upper ends of said vertical rods, plates forming the walls of the case placed on the outer sides of said frame, of clamping means attached to said rods, indefinite but selective position along said rods interposed between two of said plates and flanges on said clamping means adjustable to the obliquity of the angle formed by said plates to hold said plates in the desired relation.

6. A clamp joining two plates of a show case in angular relation to each other, said clamp being formed by a strip of fiat material inserted between the edge of one plate, and the inside face of another plate, projections on the outer end of said strip to embrace the front edge of one plate and to form a guide for the outside face of the second plate, the opposite end of said strip to embrace the front edge of one plate and to form a guide for the outside face of the sec ond plate, the opposite end of said strip forming means to hold a rod running parallel to the edge of the joined plates, said rod forming a guide for the inside face of the second plate.

7. A clamp to join two plates of a show of another plate angularly disposed thereto,

projections at one end of said strip adjustable to a desired angle to hold the front edge of one plate and to guide the outside face of the second plate, the opposite end of said strip, inside of the show case being adapted to form a guide for the inside face of said second plate and to hold a rod connecting said clamp with a second such clamp to prevent motion of the clamps in the direction of said rod toward and away from each other.

8. In a show case a frame formed by rods bent to conform with the shape of the case supported on the base of the case and placed close to the inner corners formed by the plates of the case, clamps entering the show case through an opening between the edge of one plate and the inner face of a second plate projections on said clamps on the outside of the show case, to hold two plates of the case in angular relation, the inner ends of said clamps embracing a rod of said frame to provide means to tie said plates against said rod of the frame.

MAX A. SKALL. Witnesses:

ADOLF RoBIN, THOMAS TELDHUHN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

athinartou, 1D. 0."

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,141,275, granted June 1, 1915,

upon the application of Max A. Skall, of New York, N. Y., for an improvement in Show-Case Construction, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 103, claim 5, for the Word indefinite read in definite; same page, claim 6, line 117, commencing with the article the strike out all through the word plate and the following comma, line 120, same page and claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 31st day of October, A. 1)., 1916.

[SEAL] R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Cl. 211-25. Acting Commissioner of Patema 

